View Full Version : Aquamira tabs vs drops
Can someone explain the difference in treatment times? Why 4 hours for Aquamira tabs and only 15 - 30 minutes for drops.
Also there seem to be conflicting statements in the literature as to whether or not you still need to filter for Giardia and Cryptosporidium (sp?).
Cryptosporidium isn't an issue in the Northeast.
Plenty of people hike the entire AT by using a filter.
Plenty of people hike the entire AT by using drops.
Plenty of people hike the entire AT by using tabs.
Plenty of people hike the entire AT by using Iodine.
Plenty of people hike the entire AT by using Bleach.
Plenty of people hike the entire AT by not treating their water.
Exceptions to every rule. Some people using any combination of methods still get the schlitz. Some people incorrectly using methods never get sick.
Exceptions to every rule. Some people using any combination of methods still get the schlitz. Some people incorrectly using methods never get sick.
However, old guys tend to be more susceptible, and recover more slowly.
I think that the tabs leave a chlorine taste in the water. The drops leave almost no taste. Go with the drops--they're cheaper, too.
Kerosene
10-16-2009, 10:02
Drops are a lot cheaper than the tabs. I generally don't mind paying for convenience, but I wouldn't bring tabs for anything more than a 2-nighter.
The chemical concentration of the tabs are 4 times higher than the liquid and the 4 hour dwell time is only true of cold water and crypto.
The tabs will kill most stuff in 15 minutes.
There are a lot of companies selling the tabs now ... you don't have to buy the Aquamira brand. I've found portable Aqua for as cheap as $6 for 12 tabs.
However, you can reduce your cost if you manage your water differently .. if you use the tabs just like you were using the liquid then it can be expensive.
You can lengthen the dwell time and treat a lot more water too.
For example, if you fill up a 4 liter container, for example, in the evening. Boil your water for dinner, then drop a tablet in to dwell all night long, you can treat all of the water with one tablet, especially if you use a platy and wrap it up to use as a pillow, keeping it warm in colder temps. That will leave you enough for breakfast and two liters for the trail.
Many times I carry a filter bottle and an empty Platy for camp. I drink at each water source from the filter bottle and only carry the 1 liter between sources. Then I treat a two and a half liter platy (the 2+ liter) when I get ready to set up camp. That gives me dinner, tea, coffee in the morning, and breakfast, then I drink the rest before I hit the trail. I have the full filter bottle to carry along and I don't have to carry more than about 2.2 lbs of water at any given time during the day. I've even used my bear bag rope to make a sling for the filter bottle to make it easy to dip the bottle if water is just a bit out of reach
Of course, if it's dry this could be a bit of a challenge.
I'm sure there are other strategies, the chems are cheaper to use, but it's all in what you want out of it. For a thru I'd certainly look at the chems no matter what just to save the cash.
Snowleopard
10-16-2009, 15:59
Cryptosporidium isn't an issue in the Northeast.
...
There was an outbreak of Cryptosporidium from the city water supply in Worcester, MA.
The watershed area for the Worcester reservoirs is pretty pristine and most people would assume the water is safe without treatment. There have been other outbreaks of giardia and cryptosporidium from municipal water supplies in New England. People from these places hike the AT in New England -- I lived in Worcester when we were notified of crypto in the water and was on the AT in MA that year.
At least one person posting on adkforums.com contracted giardia in the high peaks region this year.
In MA?
Wow ... I wouldn't have expected that.
There was an outbreak of Cryptosporidium from the city water supply in Worcester, MA.
The watershed area for the Worcester reservoirs is pretty pristine and most people would assume the water is safe without treatment. There have been other outbreaks of giardia and cryptosporidium from municipal water supplies in New England. People from these places hike the AT in New England -- I lived in Worcester when we were notified of crypto in the water and was on the AT in MA that year.
At least one person posting on adkforums.com contracted giardia in the high peaks region this year.
Hikerhead
10-19-2009, 19:02
Warning----a trail tip is following.
Don't throw away your old bottle cap. Keep the cap and use it on the new bottle that doesn't have a cap. Hence, you can mix up two caps at the same time if you have two bottles of water to treat. It only took me a few years to figure that one out.
David@whiteblaze
10-19-2009, 21:19
I'm not certain what above poster said but according to one post, the tablet would actually have an affect on 1 quart per so much time? can anyone verify/contest this?
There was an outbreak of Cryptosporidium from the city water supply in Worcester, MA.
The watershed area for the Worcester reservoirs is pretty pristine and most people would assume the water is safe without treatment. There have been other outbreaks of giardia and cryptosporidium from municipal water supplies in New England. People from these places hike the AT in New England -- I lived in Worcester when we were notified of crypto in the water and was on the AT in MA that year.
At least one person posting on adkforums.com contracted giardia in the high peaks region this year.
Worcester, MA, which is 100mi from the AT? In 1999-2001?
Giardia != Crypto. Giardia is a lot more common. A ton of people on here have had giardisis.
takethisbread
10-31-2009, 14:53
I have used several different methods. I haven't found one I really like . I am now back to iodine with the neutralizer. It's cheap. Although not treating it and going au naturale is starting to look appealing.
I've read a lot about folks that have never treated, and get along just fine. I'm older and tend to be more susceptible, and slower to recover. It would only take one serious case of the trots to put a damper on the hike. Right now I'm leaning towards leaving the SweetWater Filter home, being careful to pick running springs at higher elevations, treating with the AquaMira drops and waiting 30 minutes as the lightest, and most reasonable solution for me. I've talked with several through hikers and the folks at Mountain Crossings, and they all seem to be happy with this solution to providing safe water.
I've been using Aquamira drops for awhile with no issues, yet. I've always been wary of it since the info available has seemed ambiguous. It is time to resupply my water treatment and I was reading up on the various filter/chemicals available, Aquamira now suggests their filter bottle to remove giardisis and crypto. Seems all the Aquamira drops do is make the water more palatable when used by itself. Window dressing so to speak. McNett gives the chemical percents for the pills but offers no info on their web site.
Whether its a threat or not, I'm not interested in the Russian roulette of drinking untreated water.
Done with the drops. Just sharing info.
www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___25673 (http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___25673)